


His Venus In Fur

by the_many_splendored



Category: Marriage Story (2019)
Genre: Canon-typical language, Charlie Knows Fashion, F/M, Getting Together, Making Out, Self-Esteem Issues, Slight Fur Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:40:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28991580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_many_splendored/pseuds/the_many_splendored
Summary: When Charlie finds out Reader has a fur coat, he gets inspired.
Relationships: Charlie Barber/Reader, Charlie Barber/You
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	His Venus In Fur

“Hey, is this what I think it is?” Charlie’s voice cuts through your focus – the two of you have been working on cleaning at your place. You’re a grown woman, perfectly capable of cleaning, but the big spring clear-out is one of those chores that you truly despise. Having your best friend there just as moral support would be a huge help on its own, but Charlie’s willing to get his hands dirty. You’ve assigned him the task of clearing out your winter coats from the upstairs closet while you declutter your bedroom.

Looking over at him, you see the item he’s holding, and you groan in embarrassment. “Goddammit,” you sigh. “I completely forgot I had that!” It’s the true mink coat that you inherited from your great-aunt Mimi when you were 16 – she’d insisted it was perfect for you based on color and cut, but you’ve never felt quite right wearing it.

You explain as much to Charlie, and you expect him to laugh at you for having such an old-fashioned item in your wardrobe. However, his gaze is appreciative as he looks it over. “If this is real, it’s quality stuff, a real find.” You grimace, and he acknowledges the look of distress. “Ok, but you don’t feel the same way?” he asks.

Your mouth quirks in a not-quite grimace. “I was never _into_ furs– but it’s hers, and it was a gift, so I don’t want to just sell it. I guess I wish I knew someone who I could just…give it to – someone who’d really appreciate it.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think you should give it away – I really think she was on to something.” He holds the coat up so it catches more light. “The color and length _are_ great, especially for someone with your build.”

You snort. “Charlie, I’ve tried to make this thing work, but all that happens is that I feel like a silly little girl playing dress up. I mean, look at this!” You take the coat from him and shrug it on over your cleaning outfit, an old messy shirt and patched-up jeans. Pointing to yourself in your tall bedroom mirror, you say “See? I look ridiculous!”

Charlie chuckles a bit. “In the spirit of fairness, no one’s gonna look her best after having cleaned for two hours.” He ponders for a minute. “You know what, can you humor me? We’ll get the rest of the cleaning done today, but tomorrow, can you bring this over to the theater? I have an idea.”

* * *

The next day, you head over to the theater, your mink in a garment bag. Charlie greets you at the door, and when he brings you into the rehearsal space, you see that he’s pulled out a rack of clothes for you to try on. Some of the items are quite stylish, and you whistle in appreciation that he has such a good selection in your size. “I never pegged you for being a fashion demon, Charlie.”

He smiles, and you swear you’ve never seen him look at you with such fondness. “It comes with the job. If the clothes in a show don’t work, it distracts from everything else – and I think that’s what’s going on with this coat of yours. If you’re going to wear it more often, and I really think you should, it needs to be integrated with the right outfit.” You shrug; you’ll at least give it a try. Charlie has organized the rack by outfit, and he points you to the dressing room so that you can change.

At first, it’s fun – you can’t remember the last time you had free access to just…play with clothes. However, you hope that Charlie’s eye is keener than yours, because none of these outfits seem to be working. Whenever you step out, he’s perfectly complimentary, but you’re just not feeling your best in any of them. By the time you get to the fifth outfit, a black turtleneck sweater and red denim jeans, you want to throw something. Pulling your boots back on, you throw the door from the dressing room open with more force than necessary, and you stomp into the auditorium with all the sweet grace of an enraged elephant. Charlie stands up as you storm in and he says, “Geez, are you ok?”

“Charlie, I feel absurd!” you huff. “I thought this would be a good time, but I still have that ‘little girl playing dress-up’ sensation, and I hate it!” To your surprise, you feel yourself starting to tear up. “Am I just…ugly?”

“What?? Oh honey, no no no no….” Charlie pulls you into his arms and rubs soothing circles into your back. “You’re one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out. Don’t ever doubt that.”

You smile against his chest, but you’re still upset. “Then why isn’t this working?” you ask. “I mean, even I know this is Fashion 101 – if you can go simple, do it, and it doesn’t get much simpler than a shirt, jeans and coat.”

He pulls away and looks at you like you’re priceless. “What if I added an accessory or two…here…” He kisses one cheek. “And here…” he kisses the other. “And…” Here he stops, but you can tell that he’s staring at your lips with a hungry expression. You’ve always thought Charlie was handsome, but you didn’t think he felt the same way about you. Since you can’t find the words, you simply nod, and he pulls you back and kisses your mouth firmly.

After a moment, you break apart…and you start to giggle. He laughs too, but he appears confused. “What’s funny?”

“Just…is this because of me or because of the fur?”

“Both.” A piece of your hair has fallen in your face, and he gently pushes it out of the way. “And I was so surprised that you didn’t see what I did when you put on that coat, I figured I should try to help. I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad.”

“I know…” And you do, you really do. Charlie can be careless in his words sometimes, but you know that he would never actually set anyone up for failure if he could avoid it. “I guess I just don’t feel very inspiring today.”

Now it’s his turn to laugh. “It’s not something you feel, honey – it’s just something you are.” He pulls you back in for another kiss, and this one is more intense. He wraps his arms around you under the coat, and one hand starts working on your spine again – and your knees nearly drop out from under you when his other hand cups your ass and gives you a soft but possessive squeeze. Being so close to him, you can feel him getting hard through his pants.

“If we ruin this coat,” you say against his lips, “I’ll never forgive myself.”

“Then we’ll just have to take it off, won’t we?” he says as he catches his breath.

**Author's Note:**

> It's short, but this was my comfort piece while I was working on Faithless - I definitely needed the palate cleanser. Dress-up and first kisses count for that, right?


End file.
